


Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten

by OnTheGround2012



Series: All I Saw Was You [78]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Derek Hale, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Coma, Comatose Stiles Stilinski, Decisions, Flashbacks, Friendship, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Jackson Needs a Hug, Jackson-centric, M/M, Male Friendship, Marriage, Married Couple, Mentioned Stiles Stilinski, Nobody is Dead, Protective Derek, Questioning, Questions, Realization, Talking, Werewolf Jackson, Werewolf Jackson Whittemore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-08 23:27:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13468845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnTheGround2012/pseuds/OnTheGround2012
Summary: A few weeks after the car accident, Jackson is having a very hard time coping with the consequences.





	Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten

**Author's Note:**

> Poll results: (thank you for helping me to decide):
> 
> * **Jackson** : 5 votes from: AlexisPeaney, Easilyenraged, sablena, Abbyholy and AllisonDiamond  
> * **Stiles** : 4 votes from: Malezita, LoveStiles, rhaleirbag and WhenAngelsFall
> 
> You know that I love feedback, so I'd love to know your opinion. And I hope you'll find it an interesting addition.
> 
> * Please read this post and reblog it if you have a Tumblr. People are asking to reblog it and share it because it explains how people no longer gives feedback or kudos and how that is killing fandom and they are trying to convince AO3 to make changes that help writers and readers. And well, I can say this is true since I have stopped writing too.
> 
> [Feedback culture is dead, long live feedback culture! AO3, fanfiction, and comments: the system isn’t working. ](http://otg2012.tumblr.com/post/169170542603/feedback-culture-is-dead-long-live-feedback)
> 
> Thanks so much to my beta, WhenAngelsFall, who truly helped to improve this chapter. She's wonderful and I couldn't share this without her being there with her advice.
> 
> Title from Ben Hazlewood's "Undone".

Finally, he’s got to face it: he’s not going anywhere.

So, he makes the call.

“Do you mind… I mean, if you’re not busy… could you take me to the hospital?” Jackson’s voice sounds different, maybe kind of shaky but if Derek notices he chooses not to say anything about it.

“Well, I was in the middle of something but sure, nothing that can’t wait. Where are you?” Derek tries to sound casual but Jackson knows the difference with his real casual tone and he’s not surprised.

“At home.”

“Home?”

“Yeah, the sheriff brought me a couple of hours ago.” Apparently he was in need of a shower and a change of clothes and he had to agree with him.

“Okay, good. Yeah, I’ll be right there.” Jackson is grateful to Derek for not pushing, at least not yet because he’s not in the mood right now.

“Thanks.” Jackson hangs up.

 

****

 

“So, do I really need to ask?” Derek asks as he takes the turn to the right that takes them in the direction to Beacon Hills General hospital.

Jackson sighs. “What?” Out of the corner of his eye he sees the way in which Derek taps the steering wheel insistently with his right index finger and he wishes he would stop. He wishes Derek would let it go.

“You know what. What am I doing here?”

Jackson closes his eyes and licks his lips. He could say he doesn’t want to talk about it but with Derek it would be just a waste of time.

“You’re here because… because I couldn’t drive, okay? I got into his car and I…” Jackson stops and keeps staring through the window.

Derek frowns and looks at him for a second. It seems to him like if Jackson is elsewhere right now and he’s not going to say another word. “You what?”

“What happened?” Derek insists.

“I’m so stupid.” Jackson is silent after that but Derek waits and Jackson continues after what what feels like too long.

Jackson snorts. “I _actually_ thought I could get into his car and drive. That’s how fucking stupid I am. That’s the fucking level of stupidity I’ve reached if you can believe that… which, of course, you can because I turned you down when you offered to help me find a new car.”

“Jackson…” Derek shakes his head. “I understand why you didn’t want to go shopping… it makes sense. You have other stuff in your head. I don’t know what I was thinking when I said that.”

“You were thinking that I’d need a fucking car to move around and you were right.”

“Yeah… but you’re not exactly moving around, are you?”

 _You’re always in that hospital, in that room._ Derek doesn’t need to say it, Jackson knows that’s what he means. Derek is right and he knows it.

“So…” Derek continues. “I’m guessing… using his car is out of the question, right?”

“Fucking right it is.” Jackson nods.

Derek looks at Jackson for a second before looking back at the road. He’s not sure what to say exactly but it feels like he needs to say something. He’s the alpha after all. He’s supposed to help with this stuff if he can.

“I’m sorry.”

_Sorry that this is happening to you. Sorry that he doesn’t know what to say. Sorry that there’s nothing he can do to help. Sorry that life sucks so much right now._

Jackson gets it.

He snorts and looks at Derek as he drives for a few seconds. “Not your fault.”

“I know but--”

“That car is him.” Jackson interrupts him. “It not only smells like him… It…” Jackson’s breath catches. “You know--”

“I know.” Derek nods. Jackson doesn’t need to explain it. He’s not surprised that Jackson freaked out. “I get it.”

“So yeah, even if it’s the last thing I want to do right now, I guess I should do it… buy something, I mean.” Because he’s not going to ask for a lift everytime he has to leave the hospital for some reason.

Derek nods. “Sounds like the right decision to me.”

“You still want to come? On Saturday morning?” Jackson looks at Derek as they pull up to the front of the hospital.

“Sure, yeah… Saturday is good.” Derek stops the car, looking at Jackson. “Text me and tell me when to pick you up. We’ll figure it out.”

“Right.” Jackson unbuckles his belt and gets out. Next he opens the back door and grabs his bag. “Thanks for the lift,” Jackson says as he closes the door.

“Anytime.” Derek doesn’t start the car right away. He looks at Jackson until he’s inside the hospital and disappears.

The feeling has been there since that night, but every time he sees Jackson, every time he’s back here, it only gets harder.

The impotence, the frustration, the pain.

Derek closes his eyes and sighs before he finds the key and starts the car again.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm [otg2012](http://otg2012.tumblr.com) on Tumblr if you wanna share any thought. Kudos & comments are love :)


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